Forget the rugged exterior. Deep down, Mark O’Brien was a softy.
A single father who raised five children, Mr. O’Brien spent his days as a trader at the Chicago Board Options Exchange and dedicated his nights to his family.
“The thing that was most important to him was his kids,” said his daughter Mariah. “I don’t know how he ever got time for himself.”
Mr. O’Brien, 55, of Glenview died Wednesday, Aug. 11, in a car crash near Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. Family members said he was driving home after spending two weeks at the Northwaters Wilderness Program in Temagami, Ontario, which he and his children often visited.
Mr. O’Brien was born and raised on the South Side of Chicago. He went to Regis University in Denver and spent a year as a cattle rancher in Colorado, but later returned to Chicago. He raised his children by himself after a divorce 15 years ago, his children said.
“He made it happen. He was always there,” his daughter said. “He made sure we had dinner on the table at 6 every night. He made sure we had dinner together every night. That was important to him. He was always very invested in all our lives.”
He spent many evenings watching his children play hockey or driving them to wilderness camp. Mr. O’Brien liked to tell people he raised his kids on “hockey and hugs.”
“He was a tough, loving, tender Irish guy,” said daughter Raurie.
Family members said he dedicated much of the last year and a half to searching for the killer of his son Burke, who was shot to death in January 2003 in New York City.
Mr. O’Brien established a Web site devoted to Burke and the investigation. He also set up a memorial fund in his son’s name, raising money to send children to the Northwaters camp.
“He sort of made it his mission,” Mariah O’Brien said. “He kept the case very much in the forefront.”
Survivors also include another daughter, Carleigh; a son, Tommy; his mother, Florence; and three brothers, Doug, Brian and Keith.
Visitation will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday in Donnellan Family Funeral Home, 10045 Skokie Blvd., Skokie. The funeral will start at 10:15 a.m. Friday at the funeral home, with a procession to Sts. Faith, Hope and Charity Church, 191 Linden St., Winnetka. Mass will begin at 11 a.m. in the church.
